Pharmaceutical Biology, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Department of Systematic and Evolutionary Botany, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
J Ethnobiol Ethnomed. 2024 Aug 5;20(1):73. doi: 10.1186/s13002-024-00716-6.
The demand for natural product-based treatment options for livestock is increasing by animals' owners, veterinarians and policy makers. But at the same time, the traditional knowledge about it is at risk of falling into oblivion in Europe. The present study recorded this knowledge for the linguistically and geographically interesting Swiss canton of Valais.
Open, semi-structured interviews were used to collect detailed information on formulations and applications, including plant species and natural substances, origin of material, extraction and preparation of herbal products, indication and type of application, dosage, sources of knowledge, frequency of usage and self-assessment of the treatment.
In the course of 43 interviews, 173 homemade single species herbal remedy report (HSHR) were recorded. They included 53 plant species from 30 botanical families. Plant species from the botanical families of Asteraceae, Rubiaceae and Cupressaceae were mentioned the most, while the most frequently documented plant species were Coffea arabica L., Juniperus sabina L., Arnica montana L. and Matricaria chamomilla L. For the 173 HSHR, a total of 215 uses were mentioned, most of which were for the treatment of gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders, followed by skin lesions and genito-urinary tract problems. Regional peculiarities emerged, such as the use of Leontopodium alpinum Cass. for diarrhea in the French-speaking Valais, while Matricaria chamomilla and Camellia sinensis L. were used in the German-speaking part instead. In comparison with other regions of Switzerland, 10 plants were reported for the first time, including Juniperus sabina with 18 use reports.
The daily use on farms and the high satisfaction of farmers with homemade herbal remedies demonstrate their high practical relevance. In conclusion, the traditional regional knowledge about the use of medicinal plants is not only a cultural heritage worth protecting, but also an essential resource for the further development of European veterinary medicine.
动物主人、兽医和政策制定者对基于天然产物的牲畜治疗选择的需求正在增加。但与此同时，欧洲传统的相关知识正面临被遗忘的风险。本研究记录了瑞士瓦莱州这个在语言和地理上都很有趣的地区的相关知识。
采用开放式、半结构式访谈收集详细信息，包括配方和应用，包括植物物种和天然物质、材料来源、草药产品的提取和制备、适应症和应用类型、剂量、知识来源、使用频率和自我评估治疗效果。
在 43 次访谈中，记录了 173 种自制单种草药疗法报告（HSHR）。它们包括 30 个科的 53 种植物。菊科、茜草科和柏科的植物种类被提及最多，而记录最频繁的植物物种是阿拉伯咖啡、刺柏、山金车和母菊。对于 173 种 HSHR，共提到了 215 种用途，其中大部分用于治疗胃肠道和代谢紊乱，其次是皮肤损伤和生殖泌尿系统问题。还出现了一些区域性特点，例如在说法语的瓦莱州，Leontopodium alpinum Cass. 用于治疗腹泻，而在德语区则使用母菊和茶树。与瑞士其他地区相比，有 10 种植物是首次报告的，包括有 18 种用途的刺柏。
农场的日常使用以及农民对自制草药疗法的高度满意，证明了它们具有很高的实际意义。总之，关于药用植物使用的传统区域知识不仅是一种值得保护的文化遗产，也是欧洲兽医医学进一步发展的重要资源。
